Firsthand & Secondhand Account (4th Grade) FCSK12

What are some elements of a firsthand account of an event? (Select all that apply)

• A firsthand account comes from someone actually at or experiencing an event.

• 
  A firsthand account comes from someone who was not at or experiencing an event.

• A firsthand account will usually include the writer's feelings.

• A firsthand account will focus on what everyone at an event was doing.

Passage 2 is told by someone who was not there to see the events. For this reason, there are more ____________ and fewer feelings in the passage.

• questions

• memories

• facts

• thoughts

How is Passage 1 different from Passage 2?

• Passage 1 tells more background about the Oregon Trail; Passage 2 just mentions it.

• Passage 1 tells more about wagons; Passage 2 does not say much about wagons.

• 
  Passage 1 is the story of one girl and her family; Passage 2 is more general.

• Passage 1 uses the full names of the people traveling; Passage 2 uses just first names.

This passage is an example of a

• story told by two people.

• secondhand story.

• firsthand story.

• story with no narrator.

Imagine the story is being told by the narrator's grandmother, who doesn't know the narrotor's friends. How would it likely be different?

• There would be more examples of the girl's thoughts and feelings.

• The reader would find out why the girl hates the bike.

• The reader would not learn whether kids at school have the same bike.

• I don't know.

Passage 1 is a secondhand story because the narrator

• goes to the track meet and watches Maggie jump.

• 
  is a track coach and knows a lot about the sport.

• 
  is not telling about his or her own experience.

• 
  expresses his or her feelings about the track meet.

The use of the pronoun “I” is a clue that Passage 2 is

• a news article.

• told by more than one person.

• a secondhand story.

• a firsthand story.

 Unlike Passage 1, Passage 2 is told in a way that

• tells you that Maggie is very good at the long jump.

• gives the facts about how Maggie did at the track meet.

• makes you feel like you are there watching the event.

• says that Maggie has a coach who was at the track meet.

 Passage 1 is a __________ of a fall on the ice.

• diary entry

• second-person story

• secondhand story

• firsthand story

 One main difference between the passages is that Passage 2

• tells which hospital the man was taken to.

• tells what the city plans to do about the ice.

• tells what time the accident happened.

• tells more details about the accident.